


The Scent of Cinnamon

by shinshia



Series: Swan Queen's Closet (literally) [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-28
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-11 17:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4445858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinshia/pseuds/shinshia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma forgot her beanie at the mansion, and Regina decided to keep it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Scent of Cinnamon

**Author's Note:**

> My friend had a strange obsession with Emma’s beanies and she told me to write something about that. Pre-Emma’s sacrifice. Robin and Hook don’t exist because, well, who cares about them? English is not my first language so please bear with me. Hope you will enjoy it :)

“Mom, is this Emma’s? I found it on the couch.” Henry waved a gray knitted beanie to Regina and asked. 

She put down the last tray she was washing, walked out of the kitchen to take a closer look. She recognized the knit cap immediately. Her son was right. She remembered Emma wore it when she came to their regular family dinner a few hours ago. _Forgetful as always._ Sighing, Regina rolled her eyes. “Yes, dear, it’s hers. Do you want me to return it back to her when I see her tomorrow?” 

“Sure.” Henry shrugged his shoulders, handed it to her without a second thought. He knew the relationship of his moms had been greatly improved since they had saved him in the Neverland, and sometimes they even had lunch together (though they claimed they only met at lunch for town business). He kissed his adoptive mother goodnight before they both walked back to bedroom. 

Regina sat on the edge of her massive bed, stared at the fluffy knitwear in her hand. Her mind flashed back to the first time she saw this gray beanie. It was shortly after Emma returned to Storybrooke and regained her memory. Emma was wearing it when they were tracking Zelena in the wood. The next time was in the town library, where Emma promised to stick by her side and protect her from the queens of darkness. _I’m gonna get your back while you do this._ The voice of Emma echoed in her head. A grin showed on Regina’s face when she thought about the stubborn savior. Not that she would admitted it to anyone, but she found the blonde adorably cute in this beanie. Well, not just this one, but in general. 

She hesitated for a moment before placing the knitwear near her nose to take a sniff. Cinnamon. She smiled at Emma’s choice of shampoo scent. She knew the blonde loved cinnamon but didn’t expect her to choose the scent of it for hair product. 

_Beep-Beep._

Regina put down the knit cap and reached for her cell phone on the nightstand. She unlocked it immediately to read the message. 

_Hi Regina! Hope I didn’t wake you up. I might have dropped my beanie at your place but I’m not sure. Let me know if you see it. Thanks! -Em_

That was the original plan, to return the knitwear to the rightful owner. But now the memories associated with the beanie and the scent of the blonde had occupied her mind. She suddenly wanted to keep this personal item of Emma’s to herself. 

**You’re not disturbing my sleep. Is that beanie important to you?**

_Oh, glad that you’re still awake! Nah, it’s just some cheap stuff but it is the second one I lost this month. Feel a bit frustrated._

Regina was relived and felt a bit less guilty for keeping it now. 

**I see. I’ll let you know if I find it.**

_Thanks! Have a sweet dream, Regina._

**You too. Good night.**

Regina put the phone back to where it was before going back to bed. She looked at the beanie again. She thought about the forgetful blonde, and fell asleep with a smile on her face. 

\-------------------------

When Regina woke the next morning, the sense of guilt somehow rushed back to her. She didn’t want to upset Emma on purpose, but at the same time she couldn’t fight against her desire to secretly keep something of hers. Everyone craved personal possession of the one they liked, right? 

So she decided to get Emma a replacement. Thank God the curse she cast included internet, where she could buy all her designer clothes from online shopping. She hit the internet immediately, trying to look for the exact beanie. 

It was harder than she expected. Either the pattern was not right, or the delivery time would take ridiculously long. _It’s worse than I make one from scratch._ She murmured to herself dejectedly when she closed the browser. 

Regina stood up sharply as her own voice had sunk in. Knitting one by herself was not a bad idea. After all, she used to knit mini hats for baby Henry in the past. She walked to the attic to see if there was any leftover yarn. Lucky for her, there was a whole box of it. She picked a ball of yarn which was basil-green in color, imagining how it would match those beautiful emerald eyes. 

It didn’t take Regina long to finish the knitting since she was sort of a skilled knitter and she chose a rather plain pattern. Only when she’d finished with it, she realized she didn’t know how to give it to Emma. She doubted if people would knit for friends and wondered if Emma would make a right guess of her intention behind this gift…or to be exact, this replacement. 

\-------------------------

Emma came to their weekly family dinner four days later. Regina cooked lasagna, Emma’s favorite dish, as a way to apologize for keeping her beanie. Not that Emma would know, but that was not important. Since the blonde had arrived, Regina had been waiting for the right moment to give her the hand-knit beanie, but that perfect timing seemed to be non-existent. 

“Regina, are you okay? You seem to be a little bit off today.” Emma asked with a hint of concern when they were resting on the couch, drinking Regina’s famous apple cider after dinner. Henry was already back to his room reading comics, allowed his moms to have some adult times of their own. 

“I’m fine, dear. Just a bit tired.” Regina muttered, putting down her wine glass. She still didn’t have the guts to do it.

“Well, alright then. I better leave now so you can have an early rest. Thanks for the dinner.” Emma put on her leather jacket and was ready to leave. 

“Emma, wait!” Regina stopped the blonde at the foyer. “You forgot something.”

Emma looked confused when Regina walked to her. She could see that the brunette was nervous but she had no idea what caused that. “Ya? What’s it?”

Regina swallowed thickly before she took out the beanie she knitted from her purse. This was the first time she knitted for someone besides Henry, and she wasn’t sure if Emma would like it. “Well…since you left yours in my house and I can’t find it, I feel responsible for making you a new one.” She said softly when she tucked the beanie on Emma’s head. She could feel the heat on her own face. 

“What? You made this for me?” Emma asked with her jaw dropped, standing still to let Regina sweep her hair off the side a bit. She never imagined receiving a handmade gift from anyone, especially not from the former queen. She grinned when she pictured Regina knitting it in her mind. “But why? I’ve told you mine was just some cheap stuff. Not that I don’t appreciate it, but you really don’t have to do it.”

“As I said, I can’t find it and I feel responsible for your lost.” Regina insisted, trying to keep her tone firmed. 

Emma narrowed her eyes at her, brows raised. “Don’t lie to me. My superpower may not be perfect, but with you, Regina, I always know when you’re lying.” 

Regina groaned and looked away. _Why the hell am I the only victim of this self-claimed lie detector?_ She could feel Emma’s eyes were still on her, waiting for her answer. 

It had taken Regina a few more seconds to gather her courage. It’s now or never. She took a deep breath and reached her hands to the fluffy beanie, pulling it down over the emerald eyes. 

“What are you doing, Regin…”

And then Emma felt a soft kiss pressed to her lips. It was tender, chaste, and full of love. Her heart was pounding heavily for the affection. It was unexpected but it was exactly everything Emma desired for. She smiled into the kiss and leaned in to return the favor. Regina’s slightly trembling lips were calmed immediately when she sensed her feeling was reciprocated. She slid her warm hands down and cupped Emma’s cheeks, wanting for more. The kiss became intense and passionate before Emma pulled back for a breath of air. 

Emma pulled up her new favorite beanie a bit to peek at the beautiful brunette. Her heart instantly melted when she saw Regina was blushing and gasping just like her. 

Regina schooled her features as soon as she could. They exchanged eye contact for a moment before Regina spoke in a soft voice, “…actually, Henry found your beanie on the couch.” 

“Yeah?”

“…and I decided to keep it.” Regina said quietly, looking embarrassed.

Emma chuckled at the honest confession. It was not a challenging task for her to guess the reasons behind. No one had ever wanted her enough to keep her possession, let alone handmade stuff for her. They hadn’t talked about their feeling yet, but Emma already knew she wouldn’t let go of the woman standing in front of her easily. She closed the distant between them, pulled the brunette into a tight hug and planted a gentle kiss on the soft lips.

“Of course you can keep it,” Emma said while putting Regina’s hand upon her racing heart, “and that is not the only thing you can keep.”


End file.
